The World Series has been around for 120 years, but some teams are still waiting for their chance to lift the Commissioner’s Trophy.
Teams like the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland A’s and Boston Red Sox have been crowned champions plenty of times in their history. Other teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals and most recently the Texas Rangers have gotten their first taste of World Series glory in the 21st century.
That leaves several teams who will be chasing their first championship in 2024.
Let’s look at the MLB teams that have never won a World Series title:
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Which MLB teams have never won the World Series?
With the Rangers winning their first ever title this year, the following five MLB organizations have never won the World Series:
- San Diego Padres
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Colorado Rockies
- Seattle Mariners
MLB teams with multiple World Series appearances but no titles
MLB
Two of the teams that have never won the World Series have played in it multiple times.
The Rays have the most recent World Series appearance out of the teams without a title. Tampa Bay made its World Series debut in 2008 and wound up losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. It got back to the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers win it all.
Then there are the San Diego Padres. The team reached the World Series for the first time in 1984 and got back there in 1998. The Padres made it to the NLCS in 2022, but it was the Phillies that reached the Fall Classic thanks to a gentleman’s sweep.
MLB teams with one World Series appearance but no title
The Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies each have one World Series appearance under their belts.
Milwaukee’s came in 1982, back when it was in the American League. Just like the 2011 Rangers, the Brewers took a 3-2 series lead over the Cardinals before dropping Games 6 and 7 in St. Louis.
The Rockies stormed into the 2007 World Series after sweeping their way through the NLDS and NLCS. They got a taste of their own medicine in the World Series, though, as the Red Sox broke out the brooms in four games. Colorado has won just one postseason game since clinching the 2007 NL pennant.
MLB teams with no World Series appearances
The World Series has never taken place in Seattle.
The Mariners are the only MLB team that has yet to reach the Fall Classic, though they have come close.
The team reached the ALCS three times from 1995 to 2001. The 2001 ALCS defeat at the hands of the Yankees came after the Mariners tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs with an MLB-record 116 regular season wins.
Reaching the playoffs, let alone the World Series, has been a struggle ever since. Seattle went through a 20-year playoff drought before clinching a berth in 2022, where it won a Wild Card Series over the Toronto Blue Jays before getting swept by the Astros in the ALDS.
